Those Winter Sundays

Those Winter Sundays

Robert Hayden

Those Winter Sundays is a free verse poem having 3 stanzas having 5 lines in the first and third and 4 lines in the middle . The lines don 't follow any strict rhyming scheme but the pattern of the words used has soft pleasant appeal to the listeners much needed since the poem 's persona is a child of a peasant worker . The child is sharing with the audience (listeners /readers ) his poor father 's hardships and perseverance . In addition , the persona appreciates his father 's love

br His tone has pride but with a hint sadness . Through the tone , one will realize that the persona belongs to a peasant or not well-off family . As a matter of fact , there is a hint that the father in the poem takes care of the family by himself

The poem was decorated by imagery in the form of personification evident in the following phrases

fearing chronic angers of that house (stanza 12 , line 4

of love 's austere and lonely offices (stanza 3 , line 5

Things are described as if they are humans who can feel emotions . This is mainly to add more color to the poem and to better deliver the emotion of the persona towards his father . Moreover , the poem has a rhetorical language . The theme of the poem is mainly pride and honor of one 's father . It shows the emotion of a typical child who sees and appreciates his father 's labor to make the family 's life easier

Technically speaking , the poem is not that bright . No dramatic imagery was used in the formation of the poem and the diction utilized is very simple . However , the theme , emotion and moral are overflowing . Upon hearing or reading the poem , one feels the persona of the poem talking to him . It is a simple poem that announces a child 's pride of having a good father . With just 3 stanzas and 14 lines , the poem was able to show so much passion...